Latest Product Reviews

Light, STRONG, stiff, and great for hitting the streets of downtown or hitting the jumps at Crankworx!

The Bad:

Nothing that I know of. Vital just needs to update this picture haha

Overall Review:
<p>Been riding the RCT on my P3 for awhile now. I must say I have bailed on lots of jumps and cased a lot and its still stronger than ever. Love the solo air with many different adjustments! </p>

by Ian Collins Ever since downhill grew into it's own discipline within mountain biking, riders have been tinkering and experimenting with their drivetrains, trying to optimize them for the demands associated with pointing bikes towards the bottom of the hill and all that comes along with it. This is in part due to the fact that manufacturers have neglected to build a specific group for the demands of DH. Until now : SRAM recently released X01DH - a fully dedicated gravity drivetrain. Some parts are ground breaking, but in all fairness, some have been around and may seem like old news. The cranks are basically your standard Read More »

by Ian Collins Ever since downhill grew into it's own discipline within mountain biking, riders have been tinkering and experimenting with their drivetrains, trying to optimize them for the demands associated with pointing bikes towards the bottom of the hill and all that comes along with it. This is in part due to the fact that manufacturers have neglected to build a specific group for the demands of DH. Until now : SRAM recently released X01DH - a fully dedicated gravity drivetrain. Some parts are ground breaking, but in all fairness, some have been around and may seem like old news. The cranks are Read More »

by Ian Collins Ever since downhill grew into it's own discipline within mountain biking, riders have been tinkering and experimenting with their drivetrains, trying to optimize them for the demands associated with pointing bikes towards the bottom of the hill and all that comes along with it. This is in part due to the fact that manufacturers have neglected to build a specific group for the demands of DH. Until now : SRAM recently released X01DH - a fully dedicated gravity drivetrain. Some parts are ground breaking, but in all fairness, some have been around and may seem like old news. The cranks are basically Read More »

Review by Ian Collins // Action Shots by Fred Robinson Ever since downhill grew into its own discipline within mountain biking, riders have been tinkering and experimenting with their drivetrains, trying to optimize them for the demands associated with pointing bikes towards the bottom of the hill and all that comes along with it. This is in part due to the fact that manufacturers have neglected to build a specific group for the demands of DH. Until now. SRAM recently released X01DH - a fully dedicated gravity drivetrain. Some parts are ground breaking, but in all fairness, some have been around and may seem Read More »

by Justin Schroth Giro has long been in the head-protection game in various action sports, producing some of the best technology and features available for riders today. With the Giro Remedy being a crowd favorite for many years, Giro now looks to further step up their game with the new Cipher, aimed at the DH and Enduro crowd in need of a lightweight and well-vented lid at a price point that won’t break the bank. Giro Cipher Highlights Integrated P.O.V. camera mount Tool-free, bolt-on visor Channeled ventilation at browline Emergency removable pads X-Static anti-microbial padding D-Ring buckle system TuneUps audio Read More »

Thought I'd add my review to give people some additional feedback. First off, I've been riding a Rocky MountainSlayer for the past five years. While the Slayer is a great bike, I've grown tired of slogging 34 lbs uphill. The Slayer has treated me well otherwise. Once at the top, it always rules the downhill. It handled three days at Whistler just fine (with a downhill wheelset). But, for everyday riding, it's just a mental killer on the climbs. I'm a bike shop employee, so I had access to Niner, Pivot, and Norco. I poured over reviews, rode a few bikes, talked to a bunch of people, and ultimately decided on the RIP 9. My size Read More »

Solid components for the price, great balance of performance and cost. I haven't changed a thing from stock and it performs well on steep climbs, rocky trails, tight corners, and fast descents. A great do-it-all bike!

The Bad:

Tires are a bit thin on tread for rocky areas and loose-over-hard conditions. They are just "OK', but I would have liked to see the XR4's fitted on a bike like this. To really nitpick, I'd say that Trek/Fox needs to lower the recommended shock pressures. They're too high for anything but smoother trails.

Overall Review:

For reference my last two bikes were a 2012 Blur LTc and Trek Fuel EX9. Both great bikes, but the Blur was the clear favorite. The trails I normally ride (Upper Bidwell Park in Chico, CA) are rocky, technical, and rarely maintained. It's a lot like Downieville, minus the smooth flow of some of the more loamy forest trails. So keep that in mind with this review, as it seems to differ quite a bit from most mountain bike trails in other places I've ridden. Component spec:Overall, the component selection on the Remedy 8 is excellent, especially considering the price tag of around $3,000. A mix of SLX/XT components, tubeless Read More »

Review by Joel Harwood // Photos by AJ Barlas At the end of March, I was offered the opportunity to race the BC Bike Race. This 7 day XC stage race is advertised as the ‘ultimate single track experience’. Being that my little bike falls on the burly end of the spectrum I wanted to get my hands on a capable, durable XC whippet to train and race on. The ideal marathon XC bike has to be light and efficient enough to allow a rider to conserve energy as much as possible, but it also needs to be confidence inspiring for whatever one might come across while on the trail. Enter the Niner Jet 9 RDO Limited Read More »

Overall Review:
<p>Awesome fork for good money (if you look at other fork prices...) and easy settings. It will ride great if you do at least 1 oil changing per season (depends on how much you ride, of course). It has two very basic settings - compression and rebound and you honestly don't need anything else except racing on WC level and even there, some guys race RC forks. You can lose rebound knob if you hit some rocks or fall.. Just setup the fork and remove the knob, you don't need it there all the time once the fork is set-up. </p>